Journal of the Melbourne Cricket Club Library ISSUE 67 SUMMER 2018/19 TENDULKAR BIOGRAPHIES An Annotated Bibliography of Tendulkar Biographies. PAGE 11 IT IS ALL BEER AND SKITTLES The MCC's forgotten sporting section. STAR OF INDIA PAGE 3 The evolution as India’s cricket emblem Tarraville Cricket Club’s Patrick “Paddy” 1858 Minute Book PAGE 14 Gilchrist PAGE 20 ISSN 1839-3608 PUBLISHED BY THE MELBOURNE CRICKET CLUB CONTENTS: © THE AUTHORS AND THE MCC The Yorker is edited by Trevor Ruddell with the assistance of David Studham. It’s all Beer and Life in the MCC Graphic design and publication by 3 Skittles 16 Library George Petrou Design. Thanks to Jacob Afif, James Brear, Lynda Carroll, Edward Cohen, Gaye Fitzpatrick, Stephen Flemming, Helen Hill, James Howard, The Star of India Patrick “Paddy” Quentin Miller, Regan Mills, George Petrou, Trevor Ruddell, Ann Rusden, Andrew Lambert, 8 20 Gilchrist Michael Roberts, Lesley Smith, David Studham, Stephen Tully, Andrew Young, and our advertiser Roger Pager Cricket Books. Tendulkar The views expressed are those of the 11 Biographies A Nation’s Undying editors and authors, and are not those of the Melbourne Cricket Club. All reasonable 26 Love for the Game attempts have been made to clear copyright before publication. The publication of an advertisement does not Tarraville Cricket imply the approval of the publishers or the MCC 14 Club’s 1858 Minute Book Reviews for goods and services offered. Published three times a year, the Summer Book 28 issue traditionally has a cricket feature, the Autumn issue has a leading article on football, while the Spring issue is multi-sport focused. We accept supporting articles on other sports or general sport related topics. Contact the library to discuss your contributions. The Yorker uses the Style Guide for MCC Library Publications. A copy of this can be viewed and downloaded from https://www.mcc. THIS ISSUE: org.au/my-mcc-membership/member- publications/the-yorker We always welcome Welcome to the new look Yorker. The journal has not had a major submissions of articles and reviews for The Yorker, but please adhere to the new style. change to its presentation since the summer of 2006/07, the Submissions can be made to The Editor, first issue since the completion of the MCG’s Northern Stand The Yorker, MCC Library PO Box 175 redevelopment and the opening of the current Library. The MCC East Melbourne 8002 or via email to [email protected] Library wishes to acknowledge the work of staff from George Petrou Design, and James Howard in particular, in creating a new look for us. The content of the Yorker will remain unchanged, with articles relating to the Melbourne Cricket Club, its ground and heritage collections, Australian sports history generally, and sports related articles from the MCC Library’s community. The digital version of this issue will also expand on the Yorker’s use of QR codes and hyperlinks to allow FRONT COVER: readers to explore the subjects of the articles for themselves. Detail from the program of the 1932 Indian cricket tour of England. (MCC Library collection) BACK COVER: The 1967/68 blazer of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. (Melbourne Cricket Club collection, M5761) This issue of The Yorker is digital. and September, there are different However, if you prefer to read a subscription categories and rates hard copy, or do not have online for MCC Members, the waiting list access, you can still order print and the general public. Print edition copies. Subscriptions are the perfect subscription forms are available at: way of ensuring you do not miss https://www.mcc.org.au/my-mcc- out on an issue of The Yorker. You membership/member-publications/ can even have it home delivered! the-yorker Published each December, April Level 3, Members Pavilion Melbourne Cricket Ground Yarra Park, Jolimont The MCC Library catalogue is available You can follow us via Twitter and Instagram Telephone +61 3 9657 8876 online at tinyurl.com/mcclcatalogue and Email [email protected] through the MCC Library webpage at Follow @MelbCCLibrary and for your posts include #MelbCCLibrary and #MCG Mail PO Box 175 East Melbourne 8002 tinyurl.com/melbccl It Is All Beer and Skittles! By James Brear & Lesley Smith On level four of the Melbourne Cricket Club members’ pavilion is the Skittles honour board. It records the club champions from 1887 to 1911, although skittles was played at the MCC well before, and after, these dates. The first skittles alley was erected in 1874, the club reporting in September, 1874, "the ‘old cow shed’ in the further reserve has been turned to profitable account… the elderly members… can there shake the dust of Collins a square shaped, slightly raised wooden platform set at 45 St. from off their feet… and partake… the sole delights of the degrees, which appeared as a diamond figure. The frame was British workman’s paradise – ‘beer and skittles’."1 Whilst at 54 inches square, 21 feet distant from the start of the "run". The this stage skittles was primarily a social event, no doubt it first three feet of the run was referred to as "At Home", from became more serious in October, 1876, when the Richmond where the cheese was thrown, and the alley was three and one and Melbourne Cricket Clubs battled it out in the skittle half feet wide. When thrown the cheese had to lob on the frame, alley due to the abandonment of the day’s play because of otherwise a foul was called, inclement weather.2 and any skittles that were knocked over were re-stood. There was no Today we think of skittles as a form of ten pin bowling, but the game that became a sporting section of the MCC had a Skittles was played in singles bowling ball, totally different format. One of the few similarities was the and team formats. In singles instead a "cheese", a "pins" or skittles, but only nine were used in skittles. However play, an agreed number of the shape was very different to a ten-pin in that it was almost frames had to be won, known "squashed" spherical like a truncated bomb or torpedo. There was no bowling ball, as a "chalk" or "horse". A shape, often made of instead a "cheese", a "squashed" spherical shape, often made chalk was scored by taking of redgum, was thrown at the skittles rather than bowled. The less throws than the opponent redgum, was thrown skittles were set, not more than 24 inches apart, on a "frame", to knock down the nine at the skittles rather skittles. In championship play, 15 was often the required than bowled. number of chalks, some matches taking 45 frames, as many were tied, before the Learn to play the game: target was reached.3 Teams usually consisted of ten players, whose total scores were added, and compared with the same set from the opposition. The team with the lowest figure then won that chalk. Team events were usually the first to win 11 chalks. Sometimes a time limit was imposed, the team having won the most chalks by that stage being declared the winner. This form of skittles is now known as "Old English" or "London" skittles. It was played in English pubs and social clubs, and still exists today in the Freemasons Arms, A video of the game can be seen here: Top: MCC skittles team, premiers 1896. https://youtu.be/T5qNcJCn5S0 (Melbourne Cricket Club collection, M8679) THE YORKER 3 SUMMER 2018/19 been pronounced by competent judges a model of its kind – as perfect in all its appointments as any in Australia."9 Skittles remained a popular social event for members until a devastating day in 1884. According to newspaper reports, on Saturday August 30, "several members of the club were playing in the skittle alley. This was closed at half past six, and not again opened. The popular theory is that a lighted cigar stump must have smouldered in the dry sawdust, a layer of which covers the skittle alley, and that during the night this burned slowly until one of the walls was reached. The fire appeared to have burned through from the skittle alley at the western end of the building… in about 20 minutes the whole stand was on fire."10 The Ballarat Star was one source not wholly convinced with the "cigar stump" theory. The Star’s Melbourne correspondent wrote, "all Saturday night a terrible north wind was blowing a gale…a gale such as this would have fanned any mouldering fire into a blaze long before a quarter past nine on Sunday morning."11 "At about 20 minutes to 9 o’clock, the club curator, McAlpine, walked round the ground, passing through the grandstand reserve, and there was then nothing Hampstead, London.4 In 1876 the MCC announced plans to indicate a fire in the building." One of his children raised for a new pavilion and a public grandstand. The grandstand the alarm shortly after, and although McAlpine immediately attacked the blaze with a hose used for watering the ground, it was to include "a skating rink, gymnasium (with appliances had little effect. The "Fitzroy Temperance, Fitzroy, Richmond, for fencing and boxing), skittle and bowling alleys." The East Melbourne, Collingwood, Simpson’s rd, Carlton Brewery, grandstand became known as the "reversible stand", a Prahran, Yorkshire Brewery, Windsor and Shamrock unique structure from which spectators could watch cricket Brewery brigades all attended but were unable to save the on the MCC turf in summer, and, in winter, the seats grandstand."12 Such was the intensity of the fire "parts of the reversed to enable the watching of football in Yarra Park.